Democrats and Republicans at a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee repeatedly pumped Bernanke for a preview of future action on stimulating the economy — with Wall Street hanging on his every word. But the Federal Reserve chairman was adamant that nothing has been decided.

“My colleagues and I are still working on our own assessments,” Bernanke said.

Bernanke said they were weighing whether disappointing job numbers in April and May were a seasonal blip or the start of an economic slowdown that could require outside action to break.

Politicians and investors alike will get their answer following the Federal Reserve’s June 19 and 20 meeting, where Bernanke and his team will determine what immediate attempts at stimulus — if any — they’ll make.

The lead option under consideration is “quantitative easing,” a monetary maneuver in which the Federal Reserve buys bonds in bulk in an effort to keep interest rates low.

By pushing the low rates, the Federal Reserve hopes to nudge private investors toward the stock market and other investment that — while riskier than bonds — are more likely to stimulate economic growth. The bond buys are also intended further lower mortgage rates, encouraging new home purchases or helping struggling owners to refinance.

There are questions about how much help additional easing would provide, since interest rates on Treasury bonds and mortgages are already at historic lows and haven’t generated a strong rebound.

The Dow Jones industrial is up nearly 100 points Thursday, but fell from sharply from a morning peak immediately following Bernanke’s remarks.

Republicans are looking for Bernanke to steer clear of economic meddling and Democrats are pleading for action. But with Bernanke refusing to take sides, members of both parties retreated to their corners.

“The Fed has done all that it can do — and perhaps done too much,” Committee vice-chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) told Bernanke, insisting that new attempts at stimulus would succeed only in producing inflation.

But Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), citing struggles in Europe and persistent unemployment, told Bernanke he should “use any tool in your arsenal — whatever it is — to provide support to our economy.”

The Federal Reserve has already engaged in two previous bouts of quantitative easing, and speculation that a third round was imminent grew after an ominous speech from Bernanke’s second-in-command Wednesday.

Federal Vice Chairman Janet Yellen described an economy threatened by limited job growth, a soft housing market and the specter of collapse in Europe.

“There are a number of significant downside risks to the economic outlook, and hence it may well be appropriate to insure against adverse shocks that could push the economy into territory where self-reinforcing downward spiral of economic weakness would be difficult to arrest,” Yellen told the Boston Economic Club.

But instead of offering further clues, Bernanke came to Congress with a plea: pull the economy back from the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

With a series tax rates set to increase at year’s end, and the extension of unemployment benefits set to eclipse on the same date, Democrats and Republicans alike are predicting economic mayhem without Congressional action.

Deep divisions remain over which tax cuts and benefits to extend — with President Barack Obama and Republican leadership each drawing a line in the sand over tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000 per year — and it appears that negotiations on a deal could come down to the wire.

Bernanke said that previous policy standoffs, particularly the debt-ceiling battle of last summer, damaged the economy, and he pleaded with policymakers not to retread that road.

But the chairman declined to endorse any specific deal, saying only that Congress should protect the economic recovery while working toward long-term debt reduction.

“It’s really not my place to advise Congress on the particular mix of spending and tax changes,” he said.